Economic and Social Research Institute

About: Economic and Social Research Institute is a nonprofit organization based out in Dublin, Ireland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & European union. The organization has 425 authors who have published 1530 publications receiving 41567 citations.

The Stern Review and the Economics of Climate Change: An Editorial Essay

Abstract: The Stern Review of the Economics of Climate Change (Stern et al. 2006a, b; Stern 2007)has been the catalyst of an enormous amount of discussion since its release in the fall of2006. Policy makers see it as an authoritative report that makes an economic case for rapidreduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Most economists have a different opinion of thequality of the analysis, even though there is a virtual consensus among economists thatclimate change is a serious externality which calls for the immediate implementation of acarbon tax or some other type of policy intervention. Economists who have glanced at theStern Review typically argue, for example, that its choice of ethical parameters (rate of puretime preference, rate of risk aversion) is peculiar, biased, and potentially misleading to bepoint of being counterproductive (Arrow 2007; Dasgupta 2007; Varian 2006; Yohe and Tol2007a, b). Analysts who took a closer look at the Stern Review tend to notice a range ofother assumptions that are questionable, and many have lamented what they perceive to beinadequate documentation (Jensen and Webster 2007; Mendelsohn 2006; Nordhaus 2007a;Pielke, 2007;Tol2006; Tol and Yohe 2006; Yohe 2006; Yohe and Tol 2007b). Some papersclaim that the Stern Review underestimated the impacts of climate change (Neumayer 2007;Spash 2007; Sterner and Persson 2007), while other papers argue that human-inducedclimate change is not real (Byatt et al. 2006; Carter et al. 2006). Neither position has anyempirical support. The Stern Review team has published a number of rebuttals to our

National Variation in Caesarean Section Rates: A Cross Sectional Study in Ireland.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Internationally, caesarean section (CS) rates are rising. However, mean rates of CS across providers obscure extremes of CS provision. We aimed to quantify variation between all maternity units in Ireland. METHODS: Two national databases, the National Perinatal Reporting System and the Hospital Inpatient Enquiry Scheme, were used to analyse data for all women delivering singleton births weighing ≥500g. We used multilevel models to examine variation between hospitals in Ireland for elective and emergency CS, adjusted for individual level sociodemographic, clinical and organisational variables. Analyses were subsequently stratified for nullipara and multipara with and without prior CS. RESULTS: The national CS rate was 25.6% (range 18.2% ─ 35.1%). This was highest in multipara with prior CS at 86.1% (range 6.9% ─ 100%). The proportion of variation in CS that was attributable to the hospital of birth was 11.1% (95% CI, 6.0 ─ 19.4) for elective CS and 2.9% (95% CI, 1.4 ─ 5.6) for emergency CS, after adjustment. Stratifying across parity group, variation between hospitals was greatest for multipara with prior CS. Both types of CS were predicted by increasing age, prior history of miscarriage or stillbirth, prior CS, antenatal complications and private model of care. CONCLUSION: The proportion of variation attributable to the hospital was higher for elective CS than emergency CS suggesting that variation is more likely influenced by antenatal decision making than intrapartum decision making. Multipara with prior CS were particularly subject to variability, highlighting a need for consensus on appropriate care in this group.

Economic Growth and Income Inequality: Setting the Context

Abstract: One of the most frequently expressed concerns about Ireland’s unprecedented economic boom has been that the benefits have not been shared evenly, that rising living standards have been accompanied by widening gaps, leaving Ireland with a particularly unequal distribution of income. High levels of income inequality can impact on quality of life in a society through a variety of direct and indirect channels, ranging from the social exclusion faced by those near the bottom to the psychological stresses and loss of social cohesion that may be felt throughout the population. It is therefore important to assess to what extent the common understanding of income inequality trends in Ireland is in fact accurate. This chapter first shows how the spectacular economic growth in the past decade has seen the gap in average income between Ireland and the richer OECD countries narrow dramatically. It then discusses trends in Ireland’s income distribution, looking at what happened to income inequality during the boom and how Ireland compares to other rich countries in terms of levels of, and recent trends in, inequality. This reveals that rapid growth has not greatly affected the Irish ranking in terms of income inequality: Ireland continues to have a high degree of economic inequality in comparative terms after the boom, just as it did beforehand. A low redistributive ‘effort’ is a long-standing characteristic of Ireland’s welfare state, and Ireland’s new-found prosperity opens up choices that will determine whether this high level of income inequality persists into the future.

Skill gaps in the workplace: measurement, determinants and impacts

Abstract: Optimal training decisions require employers to have accurate information about their workers’ training needs. However, little is known with regard to the key factors determining the accurate transmission of worker training requirements. Using one of the few linked employer–employee surveys in the world, the 2006 Irish National Employment Survey, this article identifies the key factors determining the correct identification of skill gaps within firms. The impact of skill gaps on average training expenditures and labour costs is also measured. The research finds that both HRM and collective bargaining arrangements are important factors in facilitating the accurate identification of skill gaps within firms. The analysis confirms that skill gaps are a key determinant of training expenditures and tend to raise average labour costs. Finally, the evidence suggests that employee perceptions of skill gaps may be prone to higher levels of subjective bias relative to those based on the employers’ views.